Missing in Action

[frogintheTyne]

Where is the bewilderness?

I miss her!

I'm not in the slightest bit complacent.

Those of us who don't regularly name change, are definitely being targeted.

Frankly, I don't find it too difficult to stay within guidelines, and if I'm keeping people busy following me to complain about me, then at least I'm wasting their time.

Apart from banning posters, my main worry is the censorship of language.

Mumsnet is censoring words that are perfectly legal. They are in control of that decision. So it must be beneficial to them to do so. Presumably financially.

And it's not even a worry specifically connected to discussing this issue. It's the concept.

I don't think any words in the English language should be banned. Discourse can be dictated by custom, protocols and public pressure. But words shouldn't actually be banned.

With the trans issue, it's interesting to me, now, that the attempt to shutdown language, is being resisted - all over the place.

The emperor's new clothes are definitely being noted for their absence. And as soon as people like Julia Hartley Brewer say oh fuck off, I can clearly see his bollocks, other people do the same. That's the phenomenon.

Also AAK I like the sound of aggressively reasonable. It sounds like I can have a go, and no-one can say anything...

A tactic that doesn't seem to work at home, unfortunately.

MNHQ have decided to tighten the noose in terms of what you can't say without getting banned at exactly the same time that the media (minus the Guardian) is starting to question the way that TRAs have been allowed to silence people who question their demands. The timing is very odd, and not very wise from a corporate branding pov imo, as they could very easily brand themselves as the forerunners who were the first to allow open debate instead.

(Helpful suggestion free of charge and would be delighted to see it implemented and not demand any credit for it, if anyone in a position of power is reading.)

Those of us who don't regularly name change, are definitely being targeted.

Absolutely

The timing is very odd, and not very wise from a corporate branding pov imo, as they could very easily brand themselves as the forerunners who were the first to allow open debate instead.

I don't think they have eschewed that approach yet. Hedging bets and waiting to see what happens. I would also love to see them do that.

The Stella Creasy FU was really odd. It's as if SC really did believe that we would be so grateful for a misogyny law that our brains would leak out and we would give our blessing to a legal precedent that would redefine 'woman' away from XX forever. The swiftness of deletions and suspensions was as if some people with that power also believed it, and both were intensely frustrated when we highlighted the very obvious flaw.

There's still a very deep seam of 'mothers and old women are stupid' running through politicians.

I got suspended btw. I bowed and scraped. I respect Bewilder and Mary for not doing that.

TiggyD?

What, the well loved contributor TiggyD?

First (and last) time I’ve ever seen anyone describe themselves in such terms

I'm suspended after the SC thread. No massive loss as I stopped posting much after Dittany was hounded off the boards. Lurking whilst I decide whether or not to forelock tug.

If you tug and come back, Aye, remember the other side has absolutely no scruples and will do ANYTHING to reach the finish line. That's what I did.

If something to strengthen the resolve is needed, here it is - there is nobody in government that's going to ride in and save the day, not unless we force their hand. Currently there is nothing standing between women and girls and the complete removal of any right we have to privacy and single sex spaces except us (and similar women on other platforms, and a few decent men who get it like Kirkup). So how is giving up a realistic option?

I'm gutted about all of them. Specially Pratchet who always seemed kind.
I have stopped posting so much here. I actually feel freer on Twitter.
This 'we take things on a case by case basis' - no hard and fast rules, just means that we are all on tenterhooks all the time, while they can reach for the ban hammer on a whim.
I suppose this is the desired effect.
It's a shame for Mumsnet as a brand too - when the history of this is written they had a chance to come out as heroes. Now they just look like traitors.

For what it's worth, there's something very different about webchats when it comes to the banhammer.
How I got my username. I was suspended for apparently 'barracking' on a Jess Phillips webchat a fair while ago, as were several others. Barracking being defined as asking again a question which hadn't been answered.

It's as if one particular moderator has ultimate responsibility specifically for webchats and can ban with impunity, and without review or oversight by fellow mods.

I might be wrong about that of course. But there is a specific mod that I won't name who one needs to tread carefully around.

We lose more posters on webchats than on the boards

It's almost worth not posting under your own account, the risk is so high. Of course I'm not suggesting creating a new burner account for webchats, that probably breaks MN rules. But if you know someone with an account who doesn't care about the risk of banning that's one way to get questions in to a politician without risking your long term profile.

I tend to avoid them myself.

All of which sucks feet, frankly.

Of course I'm not suggesting creating a new burner account for webchats, that probably breaks MN rules

I think I noticed a new (?) rule about people who ask questions on web chats have to have been registered on MN previously.

This is the rule I remembered from the OP of the McDonnell web chat:

We’re expecting this to be a busy webchat, so only existing Mumsnet users are able to post on this thread. Apologies to anyone new who can’t post - please stick around, we’ve got lots of other things coming up

What has happened to CesiraAndEnrico?
She was all over sticker design but I realised has been absent for some time now.

Cesira is still around in other places, will check and see if she's still able to post here. Going by the recent exchange I had about a (truly ridiculous) deletion I may be on my way out also - we should start an Excel sheet to track all the commenters who've been pushed out, and how it was done. God knows the people abusing the reporting system to make it happen probably have one.

Thanks AAK
Along with overnight news on another thread these are worrying times we live in.

AAK - I sincerely hope you are not also on your way out. The board has lost too many articulate women, who know their stuff.

Every time a strong woman is banned, Mumsnet weakens its own product.

I'm hoping MNHQ decide to have an amnesty and let others back...women who have contributed to the brand that is MN over the years and deserve some loyalty from HQ.

Following

Please don't leave, AAK. You're my bestie!

Oh, I'm not abandoning the cause, but I do appear to be being targeted for reporting. They already managed to force The Bewilderness out, so I guess Datun and I are next on the list.

No levity! Men are afraid that women will laugh at them, women are afraid that men will kill them. It's the men whose feelings we should worry about, obviously.

If you tug and come back, Aye, remember the other side has absolutely no scruples and will do ANYTHING to reach the finish line. That's what I did.

I respect that both ways. Some people have histories that mean that they can't bend the knee as that goes to the inner core of what their histories made them. Others have strategy running through their bones like Brighton Rock and have their eyes on the prize/outcome.

AAK, LangCleg - if you end up in Biological Facts Jail, are you hoping to be cellies with Phillipa Black and Big Val?

I write this from jail. My cellie is in for putting up a “humans are mammals” sticker. Big Val across the hall was caught in possession of a “People have opposable thumbs” decal, which finished off a family of five. Me? I’m here because of the pink penis caper. Hundreds died.

twitter.com/black_phillipa/status/1031210896553635845